Nov. 17, 2011
Final Stats
Postgame Interview with Stephanie Glance
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Senior Katie Broadway led all scorers with 20 points Thursday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, but her efforts weren't enough, as the Illinois State women's basketball team (1-1) fell to Northwestern (3-0), 69-62, in its first loss of the season.
Alexis Jenkins collected 12 points for the Redbirds, as Maddie Oliver pulled down six rebounds and Jamie Russell tallied eight assists. Northwestern shot 47 percent from the field and collected 43 rebounds, as ISU grabbed 34 rebounds and shot 38 percent from the field. Dannielle Diamant led the Wildcats with 18 points.
"I felt like we got better from our last game to this game, and the goal is always to get better," head coach Stephanie Glance said. "We have to work on our weaknesses. I think the most disappointing part of this game was our transition defense, which is such a huge emphasis for us. Our transition defense is something we have worked on since the beginning of the season and to see them run on use like that was disappointing. We have good pieces in place, but we aren't there yet as a team."
Broadway hit a shot to give ISU a three-point lead early in the first half, but Northwestern hit back-to-back three pointers to take a three-point lead, 10-7 with 14:08 remaining before the break. Russell was quick to answer for the Redbirds, tying the game with a shot from behind the arc, 10-10.
The Wildcats went on an 11-3 run to take an eight-point advantage, 21-13, with 7:51 left in the first. Coming out of the media timeout, Broadway hit a quick three to cut Northwestern's lead to five, 21-16, and gave the momentum back to the Redbirds. Oliver made a basket in the paint to get within three, 21-18. In the next possession, Jenkins recorded a steal and found Oliver for the layup. Then, Broadway connected from behind the arc to give the lead back to the Redbirds, 23-21, with six minutes remaining before intermission.
ISU wasn't able to hold on to its lead, as Northwestern used a fastbreak layup to secure a seven-point lead, 32-25, at the half.
Broadway led all scorers with 11 points at the half, while Jenkins added five more for the Redbirds. Oliver grabbed five rebounds in the first half and Russell dished out five assists. ISU shot 31 percent from the field, while NU made 42 percent of their shot attempts. Illinois State outrebounded Northwestern 22-20, including nine offensive boards.
The Redbirds opened the second half on a 7-0 run and tied the game, 32-32, thanks to back-to-back three pointers by Chloe Nelson with 18:21 left in the game. After the Wildcats got an eight-point lead, ISU went on an 8-0 run to tie the game off of a trey by Broadway, 46-46, with just under 10 minutes left in the game.
After tying the game, the ISU defense couldn't stop Northwestern, as the Wildcats grabbed a 12-point lead, their largest of the game, with 4:25 remaining in the game. Broadway hit two free throws late in the game to get the Redbirds within five, 67-62, but ISU wasn't able to come back and suffered its first loss of the season, 69-62.
The Redbirds return to action Monday, Nov. 21, at 12 p.m., in Charleston, Ill., to take on in-state rival Eastern Illinois.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
